Walk A Demonic Path - Chapter 3 - Reintroductions

Chapter 3 - Reintroductions

“All magic is logic, conversely, all logic is compatible with mana.”

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I walked past the gates of the Bael School For Young Devils. The institution that had been so familiar to me for so long now felt like a stranger. Roads I once used to travel daily to get to school now felt foreign.

I hadn’t ever stopped to think about how much the war had changed me. Now, I was being slowly forced to realize those changes.

“Ash, I presume?”

The moment I stepped through the main gate, a familiar figure blocked my path. It was a sign of how long I'd been away that, although I knew he was the institute's headmaster and a prodigious scholar under Lord Mephisto Pheles, his name stubbornly eluded me. Despite racking my brain, I couldn't recall it, so I settled for the simplest possible greeting.

“How can I help you, Sir?” I asked, getting a pleasant smile in response. 

“Now now, dear boy. Don’t be so demure. You’re not in any trouble.” He spoke, and instantly, alarm bells rang in my head. Not because he’d used the word ‘demure’, which was already fruity as fuck, but because I knew that the only other thing this man was known for - other than being a hardass scholar - was being a tier - A ass kisser.

“Uh, okay. So I’m not late. Good to know.” I responded. “Is there… is there anything? Because if not, I’m kinda getting late for my class.”

The man shook his head, but his strained attempt at what was likely meant to be a friendly smile betrayed his true feelings: he clearly wished he were anywhere else. "Ah, I just came to hand over your revised class schedule."

Taking the clipboard, I looked at the schedule he offered. "Revised?" I questioned. Honestly, I'd completely forgotten my original timetable, so receiving a new one, even from someone who clearly saw this task as beneath him, felt like a relief.

The realization of what I was holding didn't hit me until I actually read the list of classes.

"Are you certain these are my classes?" I asked him.

“Lord Bael was quite insistent on those specific terms,” he said, nodding quickly, his impatience thinly veiled. “Though I admit I was unaware of his personal interest in your progress until now.”

I matched his insincere smile. “It’s a recent development, I assure you. My apologies if his request was unexpected.”

He dismissed the apology with a shake of his head. “Nonsense. It's not my place to question the lord’s decisions. He must have recognized something in you that the rest of us 'lesser devils' failed to see.”

Truly, an ass-kisser for the ages.

"It’s an honor," I responded. Zekram's proposal was far more extensive than I had anticipated. This level of support was almost equivalent to the home-schooling provided to the heirs of the major pillar houses.

However, considering he was willing to offer me his name, this arrangement was comparatively minor.

“Good, I hope the gravity of this honor is not lost on you.” He finished, turning away to leave. “And, do try to at least be passable. You’re in high society now.”

And with that, he walked away, leaving me with the schedule. So, I did exactly as asked.

I’d already expected to be rubbing shoulders with high society at some point. Might as well get started with it early.

LB

“Logic creates structure, structure creates pathways, pathways mold mana, and mana rewrites reality.”

The classroom setup was awesome, great carpet, cool tables, super exclusive vibe, but the actual course material? It was only okay. If you look past the fancy presentation, the teaching was pretty standard.

The students in that room were seriously next-level, that's what really made the space special.

I ended up stuck right between Riser Phenex and Sairaorg Bael, which was completely not my choice. Seriously, the only empty seat in the whole joint was smack-dab in the middle of those two.

The bad blood was all one-way. Sairaorg hadn't officially secured the Bael heirship yet, even though he was the only one in the running. Riser, on the other hand, was aggressive and showy, clearly suffering from serious middle-child issues.

The class, small as it was, had also split down these two verticals. I could see Kuisha Abbadon, Sairaorg’s queen, sitting right behind him, with the rest of his peerage spread in chairs behind them.

Riser's crew was pretty typical. Most of them weren't all that memorable since they weren't good enough to be deployed, but his Queen, with that eye-catching purple hair, definitely stood out in class. Plus, the number of people following him suggested his set wasn't quite complete yet. He probably still had a few people to recruit or - in his case - probably seduce.

Then again, it was unlikely that Sairaorg bael had Regulus with him at this point in time. They were still kids, and so were the two people sitting behind me.

Latia Astaroth, still not heir to the Astaroth throne considering her lecherous fuck of a cousin still lived, sat right behind me, the only other person in the class who had yet to pick a side, one from a family that neither sides of the class would dare approach. After all, the Astaroth house had birthed one of the current Satans. They were not to be fucked with.

The same held true for the other person. Though far more diminutive, Iryuka Glasya-Labolas radiated the kind of confidence that even seasoned devils would envy. She was the youngest in the class, even if not by a substantial margin. The bearing of a powerhouse felt odd in someone so young, so untempered. Yet, there it was, on full display.

I sighed as I took down the last notes of the class. Magic theory, something that had been rendered utterly useless for me considering the knowledge that had been hammered into my mind by Dantalion all night.

Devil magic was theoretically limited only by the ingenuity of a devil’s mind. This fake lack of a limit was broken the moment one realised that the greatest feat of devil magic, Lord Beelzebub’s Kankara Formula, derived more for formulaic human magic than it ever did from devil magic. 

Dantalion’s magic theory proposed much the same. Equation that created magic. A simple enough concept, yet the further you delved into it, the more you realized its complexity. Then, there was the one issue that plagued human magic, one that they’d never found a complete fix for.

Dantalion knew a fix, yet he couldn’t help me with it. Dantalion could simply swap out his memory, storing millions of spells of his own creation in books that he could memorise within minutes. What I needed instead was a way to carry dozens of spells, and a way to simplify their formula to cast them in battle.

I needed my own formula, a focus. 

The teacher left the class with haste that belied his portly body. I couldn’t blame him. The poor low class devil scholar was probably scared for his life. 

He’d barely stepped out of the room when Riser and Sairaorg both walked up to my seat. Their faces were solemn, which was a surprise in itself. Humility, not something I expected from high-class devils.

“Hey, uh, new guy.” Sairaorg began, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. There’s something I needed to ask you.”

“So did I.” Riser spoke, raising an eyebrow and slamming a hand down on my desk. “Something tells me it’s going to be the same thing.”

I let out a sigh. Naturally. Being the unknown, lower-class devil who had been raised to this level thanks to a sponsor, a recruitment pitch was inevitable. I braced myself for the worst, knowing high-class devils typically did not handle rejection well-

Sairaorg interrupted my internal tirade. "You... you took notes, right?"

"Pardon?" I asked, my mind still processing.

"The notes, man!" he insisted. "We have a quiz on them tomorrow!"

I quirked an eyebrow. "And you failed to write them down yourself?"

Sairaorg actually had the good grace to look embarrassed. "The teacher isn't very loud..."

Riser scoffed, folding his arms. "The great Riser has no need for notes."

"You are literally asking me for them right now," I countered. "And you guys literally have your peerages in this class. Ask them!"

An unexpected silence fell over the room at that statement. Kuisha's averted gaze and the clear disinterest Riser's Queen, Yubelluna, was feigning were very telling.

“So… none of you took notes?” I asked, looking around, the reality of the situation dawning on me. Not one of them had a notebook.

My voice filled with dread, I asked, “Did it not occur to any of you that taking notes in class might be a good idea?”

Sairaorg offered a goofy smile. “Well… none of us really thought of it. Besides, none of the teachers ever told us to.”

I turned, glancing at the only two unaffiliated devils behind me. They quickly looked away when our eyes met. It was unbelievable. Not a single one of these entitled brats had grasped the simple concept that perhaps, just perhaps, taking notes during a lecture would be beneficial.

"You know what? I'll accept," I declared, rising from my seat. It was only when I was standing at my full height that I noticed I was now taller than Sairaorg - a small benefit from the elixir I’d taken yesterday.

"You can have them, but on one condition," I stated, holding up a finger.

"Name it. The great Riser never forgets a debt," Riser interjected with a confident, cocky smile.

"I can work with that," Sairaorg agreed.

"Don't even try to recruit me for your peerages," I told him flat out. "And seriously, if anyone else tries, I'd appreciate you talking them out of it."

"It's a bit much to assume the great Riser wants you in his peerage," Riser shot back, though the way he was actually analyzing me was kinda weird. Still, he's Riser Phenex; he'll always go with what he wants most, which was getting his dick sucked.

Sairaorg, though, couldn't care less. He slapped my shoulder with a thump that knocked the wind out of me for a second. "Chill out, man. You look strong, but both my Bishop spots are filled, and you're not exactly Pawn material anyway."

I felt a huge wave of relief. "Glad we're on the same page."

They were not the highest priority, merely second in succession, thus they were denied the prestigious private education afforded to their older siblings, the primary heirs. Their attendance here was necessitated by the need to network, establish their standing, and accrue influence. However, their pursuit of power held no interest for me. My singular objective was to secure sufficient time for personal development and acquisition of knowledge, enabling me to eventually challenge them as an equal, rather than merely submitting to employment as their newest subordinate.

My aspirations were higher than that.

I left the class, taking a deep breath as I did. Even though I had known these boys in my past life, meeting them as kids was stressful. Yet, they were still the same people. Rough around the edges, sure, but still the same people.

Too bad the two people who slipped out in my trail were complete unknowns to me.

LB

“You shouldn’t be able to lift weights that heavy.”

I listened to what Iryuka was saying. I knew she was right. I was never the strongest of kids. Even as a young adult, I wasn’t the strongest of devils. Yet, here I was, benching 300 while knowing full well that my body had more to offer.

There was also the fact that I could feel strength building. It was miniscule, slow, but the fact that I could feel growth in a single workout session was magical, it was beyond anything even the greatest devil traits could provide. 

Then again, all of this came from an Elixir made from the blood of an actual fucking primordial. Did I really expect anything less?

What I didn’t expect when I came to the school gym, though, was to have spectators. Yet, Iryuka and Latia had followed me all the way here. Now, sitting next to the bench I was on, Iryuka was actively measuring my capabilities, while Latia was deeply engrossed in a book that looked heavier than my weights.

“Not that I mind the attention of two pretty ladies.” I breathed out a huff, re-racking my bar and sitting up, still taller than Iryuka while seated, “Yet, I can’t help but ask, why are you here?”

“Why does anyone go to a gym?” Iryuka asked with a disinterested gaze. “Also, could you try to up your weights? I want to catalogue all the changes you seem to have gone through.”

“You haven’t lifted a single weight since you got here, except Latia and her book.” I commented, standing up. “Plus, you’d need to have baseline numbers in order to have a frame of reference.”

She replied by handing me the little notepad in her hands. One look at it showed a table with three columns. One listed the name of the exercise, the second held a pitifully small number which looked scarily accurate to what my body used to be capable of, and the last, filled in much cleaner handwriting, listed my current PRs.

“Huh, you sure are resourceful.” I replied, moving over to the smith machine for squats. As much as I preferred to not use it, I didn’t know my current capabilities. As nice as free squats were, I didn’t want to fuck up my knees, or back.

“That was all Latia.” Iryuka mentioned, making the blonde next to her peek over at me from her book. 

“Okay, invasion of my privacy aside, how did you even manage to get those numbers?” I asked.

"I spoke to one of your former classmates," she said, her voice soft and demure, already hinting at the woman she would become. "They were surprisingly forthcoming with the information."

Of course they were. Even at this age, Latia was a beauty. I knew at least half a dozen kids in my class who’d kiss the ground she walked on all day just on the off chance that she might bless them with a single second of eye contact. Offering information on me for the chance to speak with her? They’d take that deal in a heartbeat.

"Resourceful," I commented, judging three plates a sufficient starting point. This weight surpassed anything I'd managed in my previous life. Now, though, I could manage repetitions with reserves still in my tank. I definitely needed to thank Bael. "Ultimately, there's no use researching me, though. I've already made it quite clear that joining a peerage holds no interest for me."

“Neither of us has Evil Pieces to begin with,” Iryuka stated. I was initially surprised, considering these two women would eventually inherit their clans, but then I quickly recalled that they were both from branch families. High-class status wasn't automatically granted to them; there would be no free Evil Pieces.

“Plus, even if you made a deal with Bael and Phenex, that doesn’t include us.” Latia added, pulling out a small notebook of her own. “They might be dumb enough to not take notes. We are not.” 

“Huh, and you never told them.” I asked.

“We’re both branch family kids. We can use every advantage we can get.” Latia continued. “For them, this school is just a stepping stone, an unwanted phase of their life.”

“For us, it’s our ticket upwards.” Iryuka continued, “Our way to high class and higher.”

“Yet, while Sairaorg and Riser are idiots, they represent what a high class devil is capable of.” Latia spoke, walking over to me. “You know how the high class promotion works, right?”

In both my current and past lives, the high-class promotion has always been an insurmountable hurdle. It's less of a test and more of a perpetual comparison - a constant ranking of one's impressiveness against the existing high-class devils. To succeed, one must equal or surpass the capabilities and prestige of those born into the great families.

And while they were usually idiots, weak they were not.

“I am painfully aware.” I replied with a frown.

Latia smiled, her words smooth. "I’d expect nothing less from someone backed by Lord Zekram Bael himself."

She was undeniably beautiful. I hoped the flush from my recent squats was enough to conceal the blush I felt rising on my cheeks.

However, the smirk I caught on Iryuka’s face in the background told me my attempt at hiding it was probably a failure.

“Okay, I hear you.” I spoke, walking past Latia and going for my towel. “I still fail to see why you’re this interested in me.” 

“In this class, we three are the only ones who are either not high class or in a high class devil’s peerage.” Iryuka explained, walking up to me with a water bottle. I took it from her, still giving her a wary glare. 

"We are at the very bottom, and staying here means we won't achieve our goals," Latia stated. "Growth is rare, yet you're an exception. You were promoted mid-year, and just half an hour in this gym has already demonstrated incredible progress compared to last week's results."

“What if I tell you that it’s all because of a good diet and working out?” I spoke with a cocky grin on my face.

“I don’t think a good diet and working out is enough to catch lord Bael’s eye.” Iryuka replied with a smirk as cocky as my own. “Else Sairaorg would be the Bael clan heir, wouldn’t he?”

I gave her a blank stare in response. Truly, what a sly little vixen.

“We understand that you’re reluctant to share whatever you’ve discovered.” Latia spoke up. “All we’re asking for is an alliance. We’re all in similar circumstances. All I’m asking is for us to work together. There’s strength in numbers, after all.”

I paused for a second at her proposition. The methods that Dantalion had taught me were transferable. Even the knowledge of how to create Erasure could be emulated by others, if they understood magic enough. It was dangerous knowledge, but it was still something I could share if I wanted.

This presented a dilemma. Should I hoard the knowledge I was gaining, or should I establish a hierarchy of devils capable of supporting me, or at least operating on a level just beneath mine?

A dry chuckle escaped my throat. The original Satan had seventy two demons under him. God had an entire armada of archangels. So why did I believe I could do it myself?

“There are things I could teach you.” I spoke, perching myself on a bench. The surprise I saw on their faces was like chicken soup for my soul. They’d probably expected me to reject them. They’d probably expected this to be a long chase, a series of clandestine meetings where they whittled away at my restraint till I gave them what they wanted.

“But what do I get in return?” I asked, resting my hand on my fist.

“There’s… there’s not much we can offer.” Latia answered. “Branch families do not offer the same level of support to their kids as main families do. Financially and socially, we’re limited.”

“Unless you’re interested in fucking us.” Iryuka interjected, much to my shock. I thought she was joking, but one look at her contemplative expression sent alarm bells ringing through my head.

“I don’t think that’s gonna be quite necessary.” I blurted out. Yet, it was too late, as very graphic images featuring the future versions of the two of them in very compromising situations flashed through my head. 

Goddamned devil puberty.

I let out a deep sigh. “Honestly, I don’t want much in return.” I spoke. “My methods are experimentative. Having three people instead of one would help immensely.”

"Besides," I added with a smile, "I wouldn't mind getting to know two pretty girls better." My words were a bit cheesy, but the way a blush spread across both their faces confirmed the significant aesthetic improvements the elixir's body reformation had given me. Already starting with decent looks, thanks to being the son of a whore, the upgrade was truly a gift that kept on giving.

“Then we welcome you to our little group.” Latia was the first to recover. “I am Latia Astaroth.” she proclaimed, offering me a handshake.

“And I am Iryuka Glasya-Labolas. The pleasure is all yours.” Iryuka did the same. 

“I am Ash, now, should we get to research?” 

LB

“You have found an answer.”

Walking into Dantalion’s library didn’t feel as disorienting the second time around as it did on my initial visit. Yet, nothing could shake the uncanny feeling of looking at the demon himself. Truly, there were very few things in the world as creepy as that ever-shifting mask of his.

“Well, not really.” I answered, only for Dantalion to wave a hand through the air. A book flew out of the closest bookshelf. Unlike the others, this one’s cover was grey.

“I have access to your memories.” Dantalion spoke. “Lying to me is a waste of both our time, and time is finite, six hours is all we get.”

“It’s not a lie.” I countered. “All I have is an idea.”

“An idea with merit.” Dantalion spoke. “An idea that surpasses what I expected from you. An idea that did not come from you.”

It hadn’t. I’d spent the rest of the day explaining the basics of formulaic magic to Iryuka and Latia. It hurt a bit when they were able to grasp the basics of Dantalion’s methodology faster than me, but they were considered geniuses capable of replacing clan heirs for a reason.

“Sharing my knowledge. Unexpected.” Dantalion commented, moving closer to me. “Not something I would have considered.”

Of course he wouldn’t. Dantalion was the very personification of intellect, of the shut-in savant who spent his entire life working in isolation. The demon had even forgotten that other creatures were capable of speech. Of course the idea of sharing was lost on him.

“I saw merit in it.” I replied. “Multiple perspectives often provide unique solutions.”

“Multiple perspectives dilute one’s core vision.” Dantalion shot back.

“Yet, you seem to be impressed by the outcome.” I replied with a smirk. “You’re more sure of it than I am, after all.”

Dantalion was silent for a moment. The features of that expressionless mask kept changing as he glared at me with his eyeless gaze. 

“It will not work for them.” He continued. “Simplification will be necessary. They do not have the constitution of a demon.” 

“Good. As much as I want to help them, I don’t want equals.” I replied.

“You offer them the ability to transcend their meager existence.” Dantalion voiced. “Yet, I cannot understand why. What do you gain from this? Is your need to breed with them so strong?”

I was totally floored by the reply. "Look, my motives aren't about trying to sleep with them!" I shot back, even though I knew full well that in a few years, if the opportunity came up, I'd absolutely give it a shot.

“If you wish for strong serfs, there are better ways to gain those.” Dantalion commented. “Yet you are fully insistent on this course of action. Why?” 

“You’ve never had friends, have you?” I asked.

“I have never seen the need for such a wastage of precious research time.” Dantalion countered like it was the most natural thing to say, and again, I was forced to re-evaluate him. This was a demon, their society was different from mine, so were their societal norms.

“That aside, we’re already low on time. I want to get the formula and focus prepared tonight. I spoke. “Your reaction shows that it can be done. So, let’s get to it.”

Dantalion paused, then spoke, "I still find it intriguing that a children's picture book was the source of the solution you and your companions ultimately discovered, of all the possibilities."

As funny as it was, I found the discovery quite interesting, honestly. When I shared the concept of developing a formula and a focus with the others, they reached the same conclusions as me. Specifically, the formula needed to act as a cipher - a code designed to interpret other codes. Essentially, a system capable of taking basic inputs and unraveling them into complete spells.

The difficulty lay in determining the proper vessel for storage. We were entirely unsure. It required an object that I could physically hold, through which commands could be directed, and yet one that I would be reluctant to lose. My initial thought was to embed it within a sword. However, if the sword were to be destroyed or if I were ever disarmed, I would forfeit not only my weapon but also the single item fundamental to my entire magical capability.

We’d been at a loss, till Iryuka said the most childlike thing she possibly could.

“You know the Uchiha from Naruto?” She’d asked. “Their eyes make their strongest jutsu possible. Think that could work in this case?”

And there it was. The ideal answer. And it had come from a fucking manga of all places.

“I can help devise a cipher, as well as the spell to implant it in your eye.” Dantalion continued, already furiously scribbling something into the grey book in his hands. “It will be a wholly unpleasant process, but it’s doable within a few hours.”

“Then I’ll get started on the girls’ focuses.” I replied, pulling out two simple, cheap rings I’d purchased earlier in the evening.

“Didn’t think I’d end up giving rings to two women on the same day.” I chuckled, “But life’s weird like that sometimes.”

Their ciphers would be simpler than my own, not because I wanted to purposefully gimp them, but because in their case, I was working within the confines of Devil imagination magic. It was what they were born with, and it would still be a limitation.

Yet, if Ajuka Beelzebub could create the Kankara formula while being limited by the same magic system, then I was more than excited to see what the girls would come up with, especially with the capability to optimise their magic by using these cypher rings. All I knew was that the unbreakable wall that was high class was looking weaker with every passing second.

And I couldn’t wait to watch them tear the wall down with their own hands.

LB

And that’s chapter three! This will go up here while chapter 1 will now be posted on FFnet.

Before y’all ask. Yes, it’s DxD, yes, it’s going to be a harem story. No, there won’t be any fucking till EVERYONE IS OF LEGAL AGE.

With that, I bid adieu. There will be two chapters of the shopfic updated this weekend. 

• Cold Daylight